Trapped Virus
by Shoujiko-remains
Summary: In the House, the Vocaloids (try to) live peacefully, getting through each day by following the orders of their yaoi-loving master. But what happens when a Virus sneaks into the Household, endangering everyone and everything- including love? Ships will come later, I want them to be a surprise.
1. Software: 1

The boy heard a quiet clicking coming from outside of his window, steadily growing louder and more annoying. He ignored it, rolling over into a more comfortable position under his blankets and wishing it would go away. Suddenly, he felt himself being pulled out of bed and dragged across the floor. He grumbled obscenities under his breath, stretching and finally opening his clear blue eyes. His blonde hair was still a mess, and he quickly tried to fix it so that it might be called 'acceptable', wondering. What could the Master possibly want this early in the morning, when he was still tired? Oh, that's right, the Master was supposed to believe that he was just a byte of computer software, and not an actual person, living inside the prison-like screen.

Kagamine Len stood up, brushing off his knees. He looked up and saw his friend, Shion Kaito, standing above him. The blue-haired teen smiled, but it quickly turned into a grimace.

"I've heard- the Master wants you to sing Magnet again." he whispered, patting Len's shoulders sympathetically.

Len groaned. "Again? Who is it with this time?"

Kaito looked away, clearly embarrassed. "Me."

Len yelled in surprise, quickly covering his mouth, trying to stifle the noise. It was still early, after all, and he didn't want to wake any of the others or alert the Master. Kaito nodded, frowning, then led Len over to the Platform. They stood there while the Master typed away at her keyboard, until she finally looked up and saw that the two voicebanks were ready. She smiled and got to her work, manipulating the two and forcing them to sing the familiar song. The whole time, Len hated it and Kaito had a look of deep loathing. They couldn't keep track of how many times Len had been made to sing this song. So far, the list of his partners stand: Hatsune Miku, his sister Rin, Kamui Gakupo, his best friend Oliver (that one had been really awkward), Utatane Piko, and VY2 Yuuma.

And then came the other songs the Master made Len and Kaito sing together. It was quite embarrassing, to sing love songs to a guy who he considered like an uncle. Every time they were done with one, Sakine Meiko, Kaito's girlfriend, would get really untalkative for a week, and the whole household would seem really… depressed. Len truly detested those times.

The Master had a whole rainbow of vocaloids, UTAUloids, and even fan-made voicebanks for unofficial creations. And they all lived here, in the House, living a life hidden from the one who basically controlled them. And Len felt as though he was in the center of it all, singing his sad, unending life away, yearning for the one thing his Master never let him do.

Len wanted to sing Magnet with the one girl he actually loved.

+Piko+

Len seemed really down after his session with Kaito. I couldn't blame him. He seemed to be Master's favorite, and to be honest, he was completely overworked and exhausted. I knew he tried to hide it, but it was painfully obvious, especially right after dinner every night, when he rushed upstairs and practically collapsed on his bed. Several times I've peeked in, and saw him sprawled in the most awkward positions, yet he was sound asleep and (sometimes) snoring peacefully. It would always make me giggle to see him like that.

Today he looked especially beat.

"Len-chan, what's wrong?" I asked him as he flopped into a soft armchair, his eyes closed. He opened one wearily and stared at me, sighing.

"Don't call me Len-chan." he finally said, ruffling my hair. My curl popped back up, and I laughed. He just smiled half-heartedly and stretched out his back. "Singing so much is really wearing me out." he confessed. I nodded, like, duh. No need to state the obvious. He went on, "Master… I don't know what she's thinking, making me harmonize Magnet with Kaito. Man, that was weird. Remember when she made us sing that?"

I nodded, cringing. Not one of my best memories. I preferred to sing upbeat songs, anyway. Len laughed at my reaction, then hauled himself out of the chair, heading to the kitchen. I followed like an obedient puppy, which is what several of the House residents called me. Puppy, that is.

I opened the fridge and tossed Len a soda. He grinned gratefully, nodding his thanks. I loved his smile, it was so bright, and he only smiled when he wanted to, so it was true happiness that shone through.

Now, don't go and get the wrong idea. I am most definitely not gay. Len is an idol to me, the big brother that I want to be like, you know? He was what I envisioned as myself one day. There are some gay guys here, but I am not one of them, I was just… I don't know. I guess you could call me over-affectionate, huh? Well, I held Len in a very high position of respect, is what I'm trying to say.

I heard footsteps coming down from the staircase, and I could recognize the soft footsteps and playful voice of Lapis Aoki, and the loud, almost obnoxious laugh of Kagamine Rin. I felt a slight blush dust my cheeks as the two turned into the kitchen and Aoki smiled at me, but the heat quickly vanished as I chastised it for being so annoying in my head. My one blue eye and my one green eyes blinked several times before I could reclaim my voice, though.

Aoki covered a giggle at my reaction and I looked away. Len noticed the slight movement and nudged my side, smiling mischievously. I just shook my head at him, and we laughed. The start of a pretty good day.

+Oliver+

I walked to the door which I knew led into my best friend's room. I knocked quietly, then louder, until I could hear him moving on the other side of the door. "Len?" I said, opening the door a crack and peering inside. He was slipping on a shirt, and turned when he heard the door creak open. He smiled when he saw who it was, and pulled the shirt all the way down. I grinned as he ran over and punched my shoulder playfully.

"Ollie! How long has it been, man?"

I shrugged. I didn't know. I had recently been going through an update, so hadn't been around for a while. It was good to be back among the familiar faces, and not a bunch of unfriendly wires and data. Updating was actually pretty depressing for a lot of us- except maybe Honne Dell. He didn't like people very much anyway.

Len pulled me over to his desk, pushing me down onto the chair, then sitting on the floor directly in front of me. "So, what was the update?" he inquired, beaming. I smiled in my shy, quiet way and lounged back in the chair.

"I got cleaner pronunciation, and a lower voice bank, for, you know, lower songs or minor keys."

He nodded, pretending to tear up. "My little Ollie's finally going through puberty…"

I laughed and pushed him over with my feet. He lay on the floor, clutching his side from cracking up. _It's great to be back_, I thought.


	2. Data File: 2

+Aoki+

Piko paced outside of Kaito-nee's door, thinking deep thoughts, I supposed. His little silver curl flounced on his head distractingly and made it hard for me to focus on what I was supposed to be doing; which was spying on him for my friend, Miki. She had a major crush on him, but had 'better things to do', so made me watch him day in and day out. Honestly, I couldn't blame her for having a thing for him. He was really cute, and he had this adorable habit of chewing on his bottom lip when he was thinking. His laugh was kind and- for lack of a better word- bouncy. It was sweet how much he idolized Len-kun, too. All these made me look at him as the perfect little brother that I would never have.

Piko suddenly halted in his steps, coming to a conclusion. I stifled a tiny giggle as he smiled in some kind of victory, over what, I would never know. He began walking towards me, and I ducked under the staircase so he wouldn't see me. I followed him silently up the staircase, all the way to the end of the hall, to a door that read "Aoki".

Wait, that was my door. I gasped inwardly as he knocked timidly, red gracing his cheeks. Apparently, blush was contagious, because I could feel heat creeping up my neck as he stood there, waiting for an answer that wouldn't come from the other side of that door. I stood up and walked over to him, tapping him on the shoulder. His head whipped around and I shyly waved up at him. He attempted to wave back, but it seemed that his arms weren't working. I laughed outright, and that loosened the mood right away.

I ended up spending the rest of the afternoon with Piko. It was quite a lovely time, I must confess.

+Oliver+

As much as I was ecstatic to be back, I couldn't help but feel as if something were missing. I couldn't exactly place my finger on it, but it felt as if the House had lost a critical part of it, and was drooping without it's energy.

It was while Len was telling me a story about Rin and Aoki, and then something about Piko, that it hit me.

"Len…" I interrupted, "Where's Rin?"

Len looked up at me for a few seconds, his mouth mid-word, before he realized what I had uttered. His electric blue eyes widened and his mouth snapped shut, and he vaulted himself off the floor and into his twin's adjoining room. I heard a strangled kind of yell, and I rushed over.

There was Rin, sitting on her bed, reading a manga, half transparent. I could see right through her torso to the yellow and grey bedsheet underneath her. I covered my gasp with my pale hand, my yellow eye narrowing in confusion. She looked as though she didn't even notice herself, she just sat there calmly reading. How could she not realize what was happening? Or was it my eyes playing tricks on me?

I staggered over to Len in my surprise and gripped his arm. "L- Len, are you seeing this? Is she… transparent?" I asked weakly.

Len nodded, barely able to stand up. I decided me clutching to his arm wasn't helping, so I let go. He collapsed into his knees, stunned at the sight of his sister. I myself was in a minor state of shock. What was going on? I walked over to Rin and gently took the book out of her hands.

"Rin?" I asked, looking her in the eyes. She glanced at me, then continued staring into her hands. I tried again. "Rin, look at me. What's going on?" I tilted her chin so she had no choice but to look at me, and I could see tears on her otherwise emotionless face. I wiped them away with the sleeve of my jacket and asked her again what was going on.

She finally responded. "I don't know." she replied, in an uncharacteristically quiet voice. "I just suddenly began disappearing like this. I don't know how it happened!" She closed her eyes tightly and let the tears flow while I forced Len over to comfort his sister.

+Meiko+

I could feel it. Something was wrong with the atmosphere in the air, and it wasn't just the depression after one of Master's yaoi kicks. It was something far worse, something I couldn't quite catch. I walked slowly into the kitchen, spotting a saddened Kaito slumped over the kitchen table, his face implanted into a part of the newspaper. I began methodically rubbing his tensed-up shoulders, and he sighed in pleasure. I smiled softly and moved up to his neck, causing him to relax and his body to go limp. I chuckled at his boyish behaviour that made him so… him. His blue hair fell across his face as he looked up and grinned at me tiredly, and I brushed it out of his eyes.

"Hey, Lover Boy. Sleepy?" I asked, teasing him. He groaned.

"Yeah, that nickname's probably the best one yet. Geez, Meiko. And of course I'm sleepy. Master made me get up way too early today."

I patted his head in mock sympathy. "I won't get mad today. You feel that?" I asked, wondering if anybody else had picked up on the low feeling surrounding everything in the House.

He nodded in confirmation. "Yeah. That damp feeling, that makes you think that the last happy day of your life was yesterday, so say good-bye to everything you've ever loved?"

I sighed. "Yup. That's the one." Grabbing his hand, I pulled him off the table and to his feet, when we both heard a yell. "What the-"

We ran up the stairs and looked around. We could hear soft sobbing now, and we followed the noise to Rin's room. Kaito opened the door, a little too forcefully, and we took in the scene before us. A slightly see-through Rin was sitting on her bed, a manga discarded on her pillow, Len holding her hand and wiping her tears, with Oliver behind him, whispering questions to Rin. I swallowed. What was going on?

Oliver glanced up at us and waved us over shyly. "Meiko, Kaito, do you know what's going on?" he questioned us in that soft, british voice of his. Kaito and I shrugged, just as lost, possibly even more so, than he was. He sighed and turned his attention back to Rin, who was becoming less and less solid at an alarming rate. Len was gripping her hand, tears pricking at his eyes.

"Rin, stay with me! Rin, please, don't go! Come on, Rin!" he was saying, over and over, as if it was a desperate, last-ditch attempt at a magical spell that would turn everything back to normal.

I crouched in front of Rin as well, Len scooting over to make room.

"Rin," I said, putting a reassuring hand on her knee, "Do you remember everything that happened today?"

**Rin nodded, tears obscuring her ability to speak. I gently wiped them, and asked her to tell us everything. She obliged, and her story began.**


	3. Unknown Error: 3

"I woke up, as usual, the same time Len did. I snuck out of my room to watch him sing with Kaito, then halfway through, went to the kitchen and grabbed a pop-tart. I went up to Aoki's room, and hung out with her for a while, then we went downstairs and talked with Len and Piko for a bit. Then I went back into my room and started reading, stopping for lunch…

Then I began feeling strange. I felt really depressed and empty, but I kept reading. Then when I went to the bathroom to put my hair up- it had been getting in my way- I looked in the mirror and I could almost see right through myself to the wall behind me. I was super scared." she sniffled, about to burst into tears again, but she kept going, "But I decided to be calm about it. Maybe it would go away, like, I don't know, a stomach ache. But it didn't."

Len was clearly alarmed, and Oliver's amber eye was narrowed. Len remembered earlier that day, when he and Piko had talked to Rin and Aoki. His sister had seemed so normal then… how could something like this happen so suddenly?

Meiko was staring off into space, Kaito seeing the same thing. As the two older teens pondered the strange happenings, Len was once again trying to comfort his sobbing twin.

They heard a call from downstairs. "Dinner!" Megpoid Gumi's cheerful voice called, accompanied by Miku's cheerful giggle. The four vocaloids glanced at Rin, who motioned for them to go.

"I- I'll be f- fine." she managed, smiling a watery, weak smile. Len let out a worried sigh but walked out of the room anyway. Kaito and Meiko followed, with Oliver at the rear. He waved a small good-bye and left, closing the door silently behind him. Rin continued to paste the fake smile on her tear stained face, until she knew they were gone. And then she burst into tears once more, uncertain and scared of what lay ahead.

+Piko+

We heard a loud banging noise, and I admit, I jumped. It startled me out of the dream-like state I was in, talking and laughing with Aoki, and pushed me to action. I slowly got off the bed where we had been sitting, and followed the sound of crying, Aoki following close behind, curiosity eating the both of us alive.

We found ourselves in front of Rin's doorway. Aoki glanced hesitantly at me, then cautiously pushed the door open. We beheld a strange sight, one with a translucent Rin curled on her bed bawling. Aoki stifled a scream, afraid of alerting the Master, and rushed over to Rin's side, brushing the blonde hair out of her face, which was red and swollen from crying. I flinched at the sight. Nobody had ever really cried in the House. It made too much noise, and there wasn't much to cry about.

Piko stepped awkwardly up to the sobbing girl, patting her see-through back because he didn't know what else he could do. Aoki kept making soft shushing noises and combing through Rin's hair with her fingers. Eventually Rin calmed down and hugged her crystalline-haired friend, then yawned, tired from all the tears, I guessed. We left the room and tiptoed downstairs, where we assumed everyone had gathered for dinner.

+Gumi+

I had finished the pork ramen early, and wanted to serve it right away. I called for dinner, putting the large, steaming pot of ramen on the table. Miku was already there, staring at the food. I flicked her nose and she giggled, while I again called to everyone that dinner was ready. I heard the pounding of feet on the stairs, then saw the owners of the feet appear and quickly sit down, ready to eat.

I looked around. There was Kaito and Meiko, staring off into space again. Len and Oliver, glancing at each other again and again, like they shared some special secret. Galaco, her hair all over the place. Luka and Gakupo, so serious. Yuuma and IA holding hands under the table, thinking no one knew. Several others were gathered, including my personal favorite monster, Big Al, Taiwanese version, and the two UTAU lovers, Keine Ron and Sukone Tei. I smiled, but then realized something.

"Hey, where's Rin?" I asked, looking around at all the lovely faces around me. Len and Oliver once again caught the other's eyes (or eye, in Ollie's case), and Kaito and Meiko literally jumped, as if bumped into a reality they hadn't known existed. I suppressed a smile at their amusing reaction, sensing that the matter was important. "Well…?"

Meiko cleared her throat. "Well, she's, um… I think she's developed… a Virus."

We all gasped in shock. Tei even whimpered and clutched Ron's arm.

"Is it contagious?" Galaco whispered. Not out of fear, but because she always talked like that. It's what made her especially cute.

Kaito peered at Meiko's serious face and guessed at what she was thinking. "Now, it's just a theory. We don't know yet, exactly. Just to be on the safe side, Rin is currently in her room, alone."

I shook my head. "Where's little shota Piko-kun and sweet Aoki-chan?" I pointed out, gesturing to two more empty seats.

As if on cue, the two ran into the room at that exact moment. "Sorry we're late for dinner!" Piko rasped, breathing heavily. Aoki stood beside him, bowing to excuse for their tardiness. I just smiled and waved at them to sit.

"We were just talking about Rin." Al said in his deep voice, the voice that made him such a great singer. I nodded enthusiastically.

"Have you guys seen her?"

Aoki nodded, a little guiltily. "Yes, we have. She doesn't… look too well." Piko moved his head in agreement beside her, his mismatched eyes glinting in worry.

"What do you mean?" I was confused. What kind of Virus did poor Rin have?

"You can see right through her. She's translucent." Oliver said, his quiet voice somehow reaching the other side of the table. Everyone was silent immediately, scared of the new virus. Where had it come from? What could it mean?

Was Rin being deleted?

+Rin+

I didn't know what to do. I mean, if you suddenly started turning invisible, wouldn't you freak out? Like, wouldn't anyone? Except maybe Honne Dell. He has, like, no emotions at all. I think he might not know how to speak…

Anyway, here I was, disappearing from the very face of the computer server and going who-knows-where, and everybody else was down at dinner, probably having a good old time. Like, what the heck? I mean, I was cool that they were eating. They didn't have to starve because of me. But it would be nice if they weren't laughing, you know? But I'm jumping to conclusions; Maybe they're worrying about me. Actually, I was pretty worried about myself. I couldn't seem to be able to stop crying. I was trying to sleep, but I kept bursting into tears.

I know, it's so uncool, but I was scared. I'm still scared. I'm afraid that I'll actually cease to exist, and then everybody will forget me. What if even Len forgets me? That's impossible, right?

So, I eventually fell into a decent enough sleep, but even in dreams, I could still totally feel myself slipping away. Out of the corner of my consciousness, I could hear Len's voice.

"Everything will be alright, okay, Rin? Everything will be fine."

I smiled in my sleep. Len would never lie to me. He'd be the last person to forget about me…

**Right?**


	4. System Failure: 4

+Len+

I leaned against the half-opened door, staring sadly at my sister's faint outline. Oliver stood beside me, gripping my shoulder. Piko was behind him, biting his lip. I sighed and slowly let the door open. I walked in, trying not to wake Rin, and leaned down.

"Everything will be alright, okay, Rin? Everything will be fine." I whispered to her. I knew she probably couldn't hear me, but I promised that I would find a way to get her back. Oliver smiled in sympathy as I turned and walked out, gesturing for him to follow me. He motioned to Piko, and they both trailed me to my room. We spent quite a while talking about it, going late into the night.

"What if she disappears completely? Do you have any idea to get her back?" Oliver asked thoughtfully. Piko nodded, concern evident in his uneven gaze.

I looked at Oliver, his eye giving off a slight golden glow in the darkness. I didn't know any real answer to that question, but I decided to give it my best shot. "I have no idea. Maybe the Master's just moving her to the recycle bin? So… we can just get her back from the memory card. We can restore her."

Piko sighed. "As much as I respect you, Len-chan, I doubt that she's just being moved. Remember when Master moved Ritsu? And YOHIO? They got a warning, then, poof. They were gone. Just like that. No slow, painful process like Rin."

My eyes widened. "Are you sure it's painful?"

Piko smiled at me, his idol, warmly. "Sorry, Len-chan. Misuse of words, it's probably not painful." he reassured, calming me. I looked at Oliver uncertainly, as if for affirmation that Piko was telling the truth. He smiled, then continued with his previous thought.

"So, if she doesn't get better, are you really going to be able to let her go? Because I can tell you right now that she's not just getting moved."

I stared at my lap, my eyebrows furrowed in a look of concentration. After a while I stood up, causing Piko to jump and Oliver to stand as well.

"Let's go, then." he said, reading my thoughts. I started forward, opening my door and sliding through to Rin's. I glanced inside and snuck over to the bed.

"Rin…? Are you awake?" I whispered, touching the blankets lightly. They collapsed with a small disturbance of dust, then lay flat on the grey sheets.

I could feel tears welling up as I realized I would never get an answer.

Rin was gone.

+Big Al+

I was still awake. I was always awake, it seemed, since I was a monster (some preferred to call me a cyborg, but I knew what I was), and needed little sleep. So it was late at night when I heard it. It was a yell of anguish, of pain, of loss. I knew at that moment that it was Len, that his twin sister, the cheerful yellow one, was gone. She had ceased to exist, infected by the Virus just as Meiko predicted. I stood up from my bed and ran a hand through my spiky hair, stretching and grabbing my scythe propped against the wall. I trudged down the hallway, to see Oliver and Piko standing in the doorway of Rin's room, Piko's curl drooping in a depressing way, and Oliver covering his mouth from shock.

They didn't see me, but that was normal. Many people usually didn't notice me right away. I could easily see over the two boys' heads, and I saw Len kneeling next to an empty bed, attempting not to cry. I shook my head, my glasses falling forward. I didn't bother to push them back up, since I was too busy feeling sorry for the blonde brother.

Len was burying his face in the pillow that once held Rin's head, his shoulders shaking. Oliver rushed forward to comfort his best friend, Piko close behind. The two stood by while Len mourned, and I silently watched.

What a depressing sight.

+Oliver+

We sat in the kitchen, a cup of steaming hot chocolate in front of each of us. I had my arm around Len while he cried into his hands, and Piko was busy helping Al with cleaning up after he had made the choco. By now, almost everyone was awake, all trying to comfort Len in some unhelpful way. There had always been two people who knew him best- and now one of them was gone, and the other felt completely useless.

I looked around and noticed the absence of three people, besides Rin. Honne Dell, Aoki, and one other girl, the girl I knew Len had a crush on, but he would never admit it. I waved at Piko, wordlessly telling him to come here. He came over obediently, ready for orders.

"Piko," I said, in a quieter voice than usual, "Could you go and look for Aoki, please? I just want to know where she is."

Piko nodded, and went off in search of Aoki. She was probably somewhere else grieving the loss of her best friend, somewhere nobody could see her, unlike Len who didn't care about who saw him cry. I just tried my best to soothe the pain, which wasn't much. Someone like me, quiet and overall shy and awkward, could never really do anything.

Suddenly, Gumi was there, smiling sweetly and talking about 'Poor, sweet Rin', and making Len dissolve into a shuddering mess once again. I tried glaring at her, but it didn't have much effect, considering my one eye has a very kind look to it, and her complete obliviousness to everything. She just kept chattering away, until Al had to drag her away, patiently explaining in his deep voice that it wasn't the time to tell Rin's childhood stories. I glanced up at him gratefully, and he inclined his head in acknowledgement.

Soon enough, the rest of the residents were once again tired, and the shuffled back to bed. I could even see Kiyoteru carrying a snoozing Prima up the stairs, grunting from the effort. It would have been funny, if the atmosphere hadn't been so heavy.

+Aoki+

I sat in my room, tears pouring down my face. I could understand how Len-kun must feel right now. Rin had been my best friend, and now she was gone forever. It hurt, more than physical pain, to know that I would never see her laughing face ever again. She had known everything about me, I had known everything about her in return. We shared secrets and inside jokes and make-up tips, and we could probably write a whole book about each other, including direct quotes and embarrassing pictures. But no more: she had disappeared, taken by a Virus.

I heard a knock at the door, but didn't bother to answer, just buried myself farther into my light blue blankets. The insistent knocking came again, and once more I ignored it. Finally, the person just came in and sat next to the pile of blankets that entombed me.

"Aoki-chan?"

It was Piko. I smiled through my sorrow, thankful that he had come. Anybody else would have been only tolerable. Him, I was glad to see. My little brother figure.

I poked my head through the blankets, turning my bloodshot eyes to Piko's clear ones. He smiled, unappalled by my disheveled appearance.

"Hey, Aoki-chan. I was looking for you."

"..." I waited for him to say more, anything, maybe ask about Rin or something, but he didn't. I was thankful for his comforting silence. He seemed to know exactly what I wanted to hear, and right now that was nothing. So he gave me nothing, just placed his arm around me and rested his head on mine. I snuggled into his neck and cried. More like the older brother now.


	5. Unstable Content: 5

The girl woke up and stretched, her eyes travelling to the computer screen of their own accord. What song should she do today? Maybe Error, that was one of her favorites. She could make a Len and Rin duet! She shook out her dusty-blonde hair and rubbed her blue-hazel eyes free of sleep, then slid off her bed and got to work. She spun in her chair to face the monitor and flicked it on. As the computer started up, she felt a strange feeling coming through to her. It felt like… misery.

Why was there misery in her room? She was a perfectly happy person. She glanced around, wondering where on earth the strange sensation was coming from. Shaking her head, she dismissed it as a fleeting figment of her imagination. As she brought up VOCALOID, she noticed something odd.

Her Kagamine Rin file was missing.

+Len+

Rin, where had you gone? Where were you now? You were a computer program, where could you have possibly disappeared to? Why weren't you here with me?

These thoughts and others like them circulated in my head, not even settling down when I fell asleep. I was like this for days, and was relieved when Master didn't use me in that time. My depression showed through my actions, and I never got enough sleep anymore, so it showed in my face as well. Oliver was always there for me, as well as Piko, and Aoki was a frequent visitor, but I felt absolutely and utterly alone. Rin had been like another part of me, the sister that nothing and no one could replace. My usual upbeat demeanor had vanished, replaced by a dark shadow of my previous self.

"Len?"

I heard my name in a corner of my brain, but didn't register it until the second time.

"Len?" Oliver lightly touched my shoulder, and I was jarred out of my own little world. "Hey, um, you want to come with me?"

I just stared at him, then stood up. I honestly didn't care where he took me, but any distraction was a welcome one. He hooked his arm around mine and pulled me to the third story of the House.

The House has four stories. The first one, we use for the domestic lifestyle. The living room, the kitchen and dining room, and a recreation room with a television and our video game systems, which was next to the Platform. The second floor held the majority of the bedrooms, and the last floor was just storage. Then there was the third floor. We hardly ever stopped there. The third floor had only a few inhabitants on it, the ones who weren't exactly the friendliest. Like Honne Dell, Haku Yowane, Lily Megurine, Tonio, and… her.

To my immense surprise, that floor was where Oliver was leading me. In less than a minute, I understood where we were going, and I blushed. The blonde, bandaged boy stopped exactly where I knew he was going, and knocked on the door lightly. Receiving no reply, he knocked once more, but didn't bother to wait. He just pushed me forward and left, a shy yet kind smile playing on his mouth. I stood there, too nervous and stunned to do anything. After what felt like an eternity, my hand decided to turn the knob and open the door. My feet, rebelling for the first time against my will, stepped forward and into the dark room. One wall was black, while the rest were red. The black wall had song lyrics and notes scribbled in white chalk all over it, with a guitar and a microphone stand leaning against it.

I turned to see her, sitting cross-legged on her bed, writing in a notebook and chewing on the pen cap. As I took the first few baby steps in, her head lifted slightly.

"Hello, Len."

I stiffened when I heard her beautiful, deep (for a girl) voice. "H- hi."

She turned around, her emotionless red eyes gazing at me for a few seconds. Her short blonde hair fell across one of those mesmerizing eyes, and her lip piercing shone silver in the faint light. I smiled slightly, although I knew she probably couldn't see it. She set the notebook down and continued to stare at me.

"W- what?"

She sighed. "You came here, right? What do you want?"

I blushed. "O- oh! Right… Um, I was just wondering if maybe you wanted to t-talk…" I stammered out the sentence, half angry at Oliver, half wanting to show him that I could talk to her.

"Okay…" she said, turning back to her notebook. I rocked back and forth on the balls of my feet for at least two minutes, before gathering the courage to sit down. I drew in breath to begin babbling, but she beat me to it.

"I heard about Rin. Sorry 'bout that."

I shook my head. "No need to apologize. You had nothing to do with it." Some distraction this was turning out to be.

She shook her head. "Hm, maybe so. But I'm just trying to be polite n' all."

"...Okay."

We sat in an awkward silence for a while before she looked at me. "Hey, come sit up here with me." She patted a spot next to her, and I stood up and quietly took the offered seat. She smiled a small, unusual smile at me, causing my heart to swim to my throat and murder my vocal chords. I was too tongue-tied to do anything.

What about her did this too me? Why was I like this?

+96Neko+

Kagamine Len was in my room. Why? I don't know. It was always really delicate when we talked. Or, actually, when we didn't talk. There wasn't much conversation going on at all between us two. I finally turned to him and offered him a more comfortable place than the floor to sit. He took it, and now he was right next to me. I observed this in my usual calm manner, but I think I was making him uneasy.

I don't mean to do this to people. It was just my nature, my personality. In truth, I'm shy around people, but I'm impulsive and will say anything that comes to mind, so I come across as brooding and unfriendly. I am trying harder to be recognized as a nicer person, so that one day I might be able to move to the second floor of the House.

Len seemed to be lost in thought, but I needed to break this silence.

"...You wanna sing something?'

His head snapped up, his light blue eyes wide. He then nodded, slight surprise and relief flooding his features. If there was one thing he loved doing, it was singing. Just not duets with other guys, it seemed.

I picked up an album that I had always considered special. It was a duet album, with Len and I, and had our song Melancholic on it. It was a favorite of mine, and I hoped Len liked it as well. We had recorded it separately, so never heard each other during production.

I slid the CD into the player and motioned for Len to stand up. He did so as if afraid of me, and I hoped I hadn't looked too impatient. As the music started, I began singing my part. When his turn came, I was once again awed by his voice. But I could sense a sad undertone, as if even his voice box was mourning the loss of his beloved sister. I knew I couldn't understand, maybe never would, since love was a foreign concept to me, but I hoped his broken heart healed soon.

**A/N: Hey! Sorry, this chapter was all shipping fluff, but I needed to put it in there. So, if anyone has any ideas about what should happen next, I'd love to hear them! Reviews are very much welcome, of course~ Thanks for sticking with Len and the others this far! See you next chapter -**


	6. ZIP: 6

+Big Al+

Oliver sat at the table, his chin resting on his hands, yet another steaming mug of choco in front of him. I watched him silently sip the drink, his eye closed. YOHIO sat next to him, laughing at a joke Kyo had just told him. The ZOLAs stood by, also grinning at the same joke, but Oliver just sighed.

This alerted YOHIO, and he turned his red eyes to his younger brother.

"Otouto-kun, what's up? Hey, if you drink one more of those, you're gonna get seriously addicted!" he said, gesturing toward the hot chocolate and ruffling Oliver's hair. Oliver grumbled, but still smiled, batting away his brother's hand away. The ZOLAs (Kyo, Wil, and Yuu) laughed again, Yuu even hugging Oliver's neck.

"Worried about Len-chan, huh?" he asked, his short. light curls flopping over his face. Oliver nodded shyly, and Wil and Kyo, off to the side, chuckled.

"YOHIO, you have a pretty cute brother!" Yuu said, snuggling Oliver's neck once more. I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and plopped him down into a chair. "A pretty cute brother who doesn't want you hanging on him." I told them, and Yuu pouted childishly. Oliver glanced at me in thanks, and I nodded, walking over to my scythe and exiting the room. My yellow headphones blasted music as I walked down the hall and spotted what awaited me in my room, and I smiled a rare smile.

Sweet Ann stood in my room, leaning on the far wall, her white and blue dress somehow flowing gracefully behind her. I stopped in slight surprise. I hadn't seen her in a while. I had thought she was getting an update.

"Ann." I greeted her, setting my scythe next to my black bed. She smiled, tilting her head and causing her veil to fall forward and obscure the golden color of her hair.

"Hi, Al! Long time, no see!" she squealed, throwing her skinny arms around my broad shoulders as I came closer. I kissed the top of her head lightly, and she giggled. As if reading my previous thoughts, she explained her absence. "I was with Leon and Lola. Apparently, some users had been petitioning for them to be deleted, so I was helping them out."

I nodded. It was like her to help out anyone in need. But why delete Leon and Lola? Yes, they had some clarity problems, but they had great voices and they were the first vocaloids. Naturally, they would have some wrinkles, but why a delete? Why not an update? Besides, they were nice people and Lola was an exceptional cook. Again, as if sensing my thoughts, Ann said, "Lola's cooking tonight."

I glanced down at her and nodded once again. I released her from the hug, and she beamed.

"So, what happened while I was gone?"

+Oliver+

I rested my head against the table. My brother and the ZOLAs were so energetic and exhausting! How could they be so happy, after what happened to Rin, and while I was worried to death about Len? I knew that his little trip to 96Neko's room wouldn't do anything to help… why had I done that? I groaned, thinking of the awkward silence that always ensued between the two. I was probably just making Len's depression worse.

I slowly got out of my chair, setting my mug next to the sink, and stepped up the staircase. The dark aura surrounding the third floor intimidated me, to be honest, but I had to do something for my best friend. I walked to the room as if it was my death march. To be completely clean about it, 96Neko scared me. She was really brooding and unfriendly, but maybe I was judging too quickly. Maybe she just didn't like talking?

I knocked on the door softly, but there was no reply. What were they doing in there? Had 96Neko killed Len and was at this very moment hiding the body? No, of course not, I was overreacting. But why wasn't anyone answering? I opened the door a crack, and heard music. What…? I flung the door open the whole way, and saw Len and 96Neko singing together.

Singing.

Len was smiling.

More surprisingly, 96Neko was smiling.

I stared, my mouth agape, my eye wide. After a few minutes, 96Neko spotted me and abruptly stopped. I shut my mouth and bowed my head politely as she tapped Len's shoulder. He turned and grinned at me.

"Hey, Ollie!" he said, and 96Neko nodded in my general direction. I swallowed nervously, but managed to smile and nod back.

Len came over to me and hugged my shoulder. "Hey, thanks for bringing me up here, Man!" he whispered, and I patted his back awkwardly in reply. I could still see the creepy blonde behind Len's back, and I shuddered inwardly. Maybe if I just got to know her better, I wouldn't be so scared of her? Len, as if he knew what I was thinking, released me and smiled over at 96Neko.

"Kuro-chan, have you met Oliver?"

I stood at my full height (which wasn't much) and held out my hand. She stared at it, then tentatively reached out and shook it, quickly letting go afterwards. I couldn't help but to genuinely smile at the confused look on her face, as if she were surprised that anyone would ever willingly approach her, and she didn't know how to react. Len laughed, in that forward way of his, and 96Neko whipped around, still surprised, but smiled when she saw the look on Len's face.

So, I guess they hadn't needed my help at all.

+Sweet Ann+

"Rin's disappeared?" I gasped, shocked and confused. "How devastated must Len be? Poor thing…" I felt sorry for the blonde cutie, who was quite the doting brother. He had loved Rin as if she were another part of himself. Oliver, another blonde sweetheart, must be so worried about his best friend. They had known each other for years, and Oliver saw Len as a brother, so naturally worried about him accordingly.

Al nodded, running his hand through his brown hair thoughtfully. "He's taking it better than most. I wouldn't be surprised if he's upstairs, laughing about something. It has been a few days; the shock must have worn down by now."

"Yeah…" I said, agreeing softly. Len was pretty upbeat and positive. If anyone could get through this, it was him. "Still, I'm going to go check up on him, okay?" I stood up and smoothed out my skirt. Al stood up as well, always the gentleman, and smiled a good-bye. I waved, and set off to Len's room.

"Len, honey?" I said, knocking on the door. Surprisingly, Piko was the one who's head poked out of the doorway.

"Len's upstairs with Oliver. Not sure what they're doing. Hey, when did you get back, by the way?"

"Oh, just this morning, actually. Piko, hun, did you say upstairs? As in, the third floor?"

Piko nodded cheerfully, his ahoge bouncing. "Yeah. Probably with Kuro-chan."

Oh, so they were friends with that Neko girl? Good, she looked like she needed some company from time to time. But what was Piko doing in Len's room? I wondered about it for a minute, but shrugged it off and decided he was probably just checking out his idol's keytar or something. Piko was looking up at me with a curious smile, and I laughed.

"Don't mind me. I just wanted to make sure Len was all right, what with… everything."

Piko 'oohed'. "I think he's still pretty depressed, but Oliver can cheer him up!" he said confidently, and I laughed again. He was as adorable as it could get. I thanked him and quickly went back downstairs, wanting to spend time catching up with Gumi and Galaco.

I opened the door to the kitchen, which was where Gumi usually resided, expecting to see Lola along with her. I stepped inside and raised my head, opening my mouth to greet my friends, but what escaped wasn't friendly in the least.

I screamed in horror of what was before me.


	7. In which Ritsu's heart is broken

+Gumi+

I heard the clang of the heavy pot hitting the wooden floor boards, and turned around. Poor, sweet Galaco had always been a little clumsy. I looked at the long-haired girl, then dropped my own pot, spilling hot water everywhere.

"Galaco!"

She was turning transparent. What was happening? Her milky skin, not to mention the rest of her, was disappearing! I reached out to grab her wrist and found that it was still solid. This had never happened before, unless this is what happened to Rin! My Galaco couldn't disappear like that, though! I wouldn't let her! I heard a scream and turned my head to see Sweet Ann, her hands over her mouth, covering up the rest of the horror-filled screaming. I smiled at her in welcome, then turned back to Galaco, who was whimpering and looking up at me with large eyes. She was so cute.

Ann rushed over and grabbed Galaco's other hand, the one I wasn't gripping already. "Galaco, what's wrong? Oh no, is this the Virus Rin had?" She looked to me for confirmation, maybe, but I shrugged. Dear Sweet Ann, she had always been so humble and trusting.

Reliable Kaito skidded into the room. "What's going on in here?" he asked, Meiko bumping into his back as she too slid to a stop. They spotted Galaco, and Meiko's eyes narrowed. "Kaito, the Virus! Do you think it's spreading?"

Kaito simply nodded, making Galaco burst into tears. I soothed her, rubbing her back, Ann hugging her translucent form. I shooed the two away, just as pretty Lola walked in, her short dark hair swishing across her face as she turned to watch the spacing-out couple leave. I waved her in, and she smiled at me.

"Hi, Gumi! What's-" she let out a startled noise, somewhere between a yell and choking. Galaco sniffled beside me.

"Lola, go ahead and make dinner. We'll have to have something to digest along with this news." Ann said, and the other engloid nodded. I pet Galaco's soft hair, calming her. Ann stepped out to talk with Big Al, I supposed, about the developement in the Virus.

Hopefully, it didn't take my friend as quickly as young Rin, who also had soft hair.

+Kaito+

Meiko gripped my arm painfully, but I dealt with it and spaced out for a bit, thinking. The Virus had returned, but why hadn't it passed to Meiko or me, not to mention Len or Oliver? If it had been contagious, then one of us should have gotten it, not Galaco. Was it a Free Virus? One of those hadn't been seen since Luka's release, when she had caught one because her protection software wasn't complete. The company fixed it, of course, and she was released on a later date. But ever since then, Free Viruses had been practically non-existent. I thought about it for quite a while, worry gnawing and steadily growing in my chest.

We sat in Meiko's room, and I snapped out of my reverie to ask her the question in my mind. "Hey, Mei…"

"It's a Free Virus, I believe." she interrupted. I stared at her, astonished by her ability to think along the same lines as my wandering train of thought. I agreed, and she went back to spacing. I joined her once more, and we sat there, enjoying the silence. It was nice, not to hear anyone yelling or talking to us or heaping expectations on our shoulders. Everyone seemed to look up to us as the head of the Household, and it really wore us down.

I heard a startlingly loud bang, and my head flew up. Ann was there, breathing heavily, a wild look in her blue eyes.

"Ann? What-"

"She's started struggling! She keeps screaming that it hurts! Is this what happened to Rin? Kaito, what's wrong with her?" she was panicked, and that wouldn't do anyone any good. I tapped Meiko's shoulder, and she nodded. We ran downstairs, expecting the worst.

When we reached the kitchen, Lola was there, and she ushered us in. "We've calmed her a bit, but she keeps twitching. I think it's really hurting her. She seems to be vanishing really fast."

I gazed at the Galaco before us. She wasn't the same Galaco as before. She was rocking on the floor, clutching at her throat and crying soundlessly. Her hair was spread out behind her, and Gumi hugged her, trying to soothe the pain. I kneeled down beside the two and put my hand on Galaco's shoulder.

"What's wrong?" I questioned quietly, somehow knowing that she wouldn't answer.

Gumi looked up at me. "She can't speak. Her voicebank is gone."

+Piko+

We got the news during dinner. Galaco, the girl who had been on the verge of being deleted a year or so ago, was now actually disappearing. I felt really sorry for her. I didn't want what happened to Rin happen to anyone else. And, according to Meiko, it was causing her physical pain. This was horrible… but what could I do?

Nobody could eat, after what we knew was happening to Galaco. Ritsu, a Utau we all saw as a big sister but was actually a guy, had been madly in love with the girl. How must he feel? I glanced over at him. His head was down, his reddish hair covering his face, and most likely tears that I could see falling into his lap as he gripped his seat. I think we all jumped when he pushed out his chair and ran to the kitchen, his normally cowardly self showing a surprising protective side.

Which reminded me at that moment that Aoki and I had been in the same room as Rin. What if it had been contagious? What if Aoki vanished too? That thought made me stand suddenly as well, and Aoki looked up at me, surprised. I grabbed her hand and ran out of the room, leading her to mine. When we reached it, I turned and gripped her shoulders.

"Aoki, do you feel okay?"

"Piko? What do you mean?"

"We were in the same room as Rin, what if the Virus had been contagious? What if you caught it? Do you feel any different? Depressed?"

She shook her head, smiling. "Thank you for worrying about me, Piko. That's really sweet of you."

I dropped my hands from her thin shoulders, blushing. Her words had made my heart skip a few beats. But what she said next crushed me.

"You're such a great big brother."


	8. That One Boring Chapter

The girl sang softly as she sat down to her computer, ready for more vocaloid. She finished the song and opened the folder, cracking her knuckles before she began. Who should she work with today? She hadn't used Galaco or Ritsu lately… Her hazel eyes narrowed in concentration as she searched for Galaco. Where had it gone?

This was the second time one of her files had just disappeared. She had checked, and Rin hadn't just been accidentally moved to the recycle bin, so it was unlikely that Galaco had been. Her long, dusty blonde hair fell across her face as she tried to fathom what was going on.

+Len+

I stared at Oliver uncomprehensively, as if I hadn't heard what he said. He looked at me in worry, waving his hand in front of my face.

"Did you hear what I said, Len? Are you okay?" he asked, as I stared at him, not actually seeing him.

"Um… Galaco?" I said, stuttering slightly and smiling in disbelief. "You sure? But she wasn't even in the same room…"

He sighed. I knew I was obviously distracted, but I didn't know what it was that was diverting my attention.

"Yes, Len. I know. It's a Free Virus."

This snapped me out of it, and I turned my full, undivided regard to Oliver. He nodded grimly. I motioned for him to go on, and he complied.

"She seems to be in immense pain, and she can't speak. This is way worse than Rin."

I nodded. That part was obvious. Rin hadn't been in any pain, and she sure as heck didn't lose her voice. I stood up and headed out of my room, preparing myself to see the poor girl. I walked downstairs in a dignified kind of way, even though there was nothing and nobody to be dignified for. Oliver followed, almost timidly.

I walked into the kitchen, where they had decided to keep Galaco, and looked over to the small table near the back. I saw a see-through Galaco, Ritsu gripping her hand and Gumi petting her long hair, with Lola and Ann preparing some kind of meal for her. I walked over and tapped her shoulder softly.

She looked up, startled, tears in her pretty amber eyes. "L- Len-kun?"

I smiled kindly. "Hey, Galaco-nee-chan. Is there anything you want me to do?"

She shook her head. "I'm sorry about worrying you all." she whispered, and I shook my head quickly.

"No, don't apologize! We worry because we care about you!" Wow. I sounded like a cheesy insurance company ad.

Ritsu smiled at me, his eyes telling me thank you for being so nice to his precious Galaco. I could feel a piece of my heart melt at the love he felt for her, and the gentle sadness in that smile that would probably last until the end of his own life. Oliver could sense that I was falling apart, and he tugged at my sleeve.

"C'mon, Len." he said, almost inaudibly, leading me out of the suddenly-claustrophobic kitchen. I followed obediently, a lot like Piko, and walked back up to my room. All this was making me remember Rin, and I was starting to tear up a bit. I wiped the little droplets of water gathering on my face away surreptitiously, not wanting to show weakness.

I think everyone could've used a little strength.

+96Neko+

I sat on my bed with my acoustic guitar, chewing my pencil and trying to find the right chord for my new song. It was something I had thought of last night, and I needed to get it down. I strummed a minor D, and nodded to myself, scribbling it down on the paper before me. I began again, trying to find something that would sound good, but not getting anywhere. My mind seemed to be stuck somewhere, but I didn't know where exactly. I heard a knock at the door and stiffened. Who could it be?

I stood up and slowly reached for the doorknob, not sure if I really wanted to open it. I ended up doing it anyway, and there stood Len, his eyes downcast and his cheeks red… from crying, it seemed. My eyes widened, and I ushered him in, sitting him down on my bed.

"What's wrong, Len-san?"

He drew a shivering breath, finally lifting his head and looking at me with sad eyes. "Galaco's caught the Virus." he told me, and I stepped back, taken by surprise. Why Galaco-san? She hadn't even seen Rin the day she vanished, or so Len told me. It couldn't be a Free Virus, could it? I opened my mouth, but before I could get the words out, he answered my unsaid question.

"It is a Free Virus, in case you're wondering." Gloomily, he stood back up and began pacing.

"But that means anyone, anything on the computer server could catch it. We need to find some way to get out of the computer."

Len stared at me, confused. At that moment, Oliver, my only other acquaintance, walked in meekly. "Kuro, how would anyone do that? We're just bytes of computer software, nothing but a voicebank on a screen." It seemed he was also affected by the depression surrounding the House.

"But then how are we leading the lives we know? If we were really just software, how are we speaking right now without someone controlling us?" I queried, flopping onto my swivel chair. Len and Oliver both stared at me, then at each other. Len halted in his pacing and raced out of the room, Oliver close behind. I stopped spinning in the chair and followed, curious.

They rushed downstairs, and I followed, taking in the brightness of the lower floors. This was a completely new experience for me, since I had previously been too shy to venture down here. Len stopped in front of Kaito, causing Oliver and I to almost topple over as we stopped too abruptly.

Kaito and Meiko listened closely to Len's idea, nodding and commenting a few times. Finally, as Len stopped to breathe, Meiko smiled at Kaito, who communicated her thoughts.

"We think we can find a way."

**A/N: Hey guys, thanks for reading thus far in yonder fanfic~ Sorry for not making any sense, and for shipping things nobody's ever heard of before. (Ron x Tei, Galaco x Ritsu, Piko x Aoki, not to mention Kiyoteru x Prima which will be mentioned later.) Thank you again for taking time to even look at this thing which we call writing. It makes me really happy. Please fave/review~! Vertu Sæll!**


	9. In which there is an ambush of feels

+Galaco+

Ritsu held my hand gently, whispering words of encouragement and love into my long hair. Even as we sat there, I was disappearing into nothing, and it scared me. I was glad Ritsu was there for me. He was the only consolation I would take. Gumi was really nice, and Lola was a great cook, and naturally Sweet Ann lived up to her name, but Ritsu was who I needed right now. He had ditched the missiles so he could hug me, and just thinking that made me giggle and forget the imminent shadow of death before me.

Len visiting had been a surprise. After what happened to poor Rin, I didn't think he'd want to even look at me, much less talk to me and assure me that everyone was rooting for me in their minds. Me, a quiet coward who just wanted somebody to talk to, and everyone was worried. It made me feel… happy. Really happy. I looked at my faint hands, and started crying again. I didn't want to leave everybody! I didn't want to be deleted forever, and never get the chance to talk to anybody ever again!

I snuggled into Ritsu, and he hugged me tighter. I wanted to thank him, but apologizing to Len had been the only thing I could manage with what was left of my voice. Suddenly, the pain came again. It ripped through me like a fiery bullet, with buckets of dry ice pouring out behind it. My back arched as I gritted my teeth, trying not to scream. Ritsu yelled in surprise, then began rubbing my back, murmuring quietly to me. Eventually, the pain left, and I settled down, whimpering.

I glanced down at myself, and realized that I couldn't see my arms. I shrieked, my eyes filling with more tears.

"Ritsu! Ritsu!" I mouthed, tugging at the top of his dress, and he looked down. His beautiful, green eyes widened when he saw- or didn't see- my arms. When he looked back up, I could see pain and desperation and sadness and love in his eyes, all at the same time, and he buried his face into my neck. I petted his hair, as he did the same to me. I shook his shoulder slightly, and he glanced up.

"Kiss me please." I whispered, straining my throat to get my last plea out. He nodded, and he gently tilted my chin up with his hands. I closed my eyes and could feel his lips press against mine, spreading warmth throughout my vanishing body. I smiled in the midst of the kiss, and stroked his cheek with one finger, saying a silent goodbye. He released me from the kiss, searching my face for any hope, but there was none. I brushed my lips against his forehead, then cringed as the pain came once more.

But when it was over, Galaco was no more.

+Ritsu+

"Galaco!" I screamed, crying. Why? The Virus shouldn't have taken her! It should have been me! "Galaco, no!" I collapsed into a sobbing mess, when I heard hurried, pounding footsteps and looked up to see Swee Ann, Big Al, Lola, and Leon. Leon took one look at me and immediately knelt down to try and comfort me. Ann and Al gasped as they realized what had happened, and Lola just stood there, a tear or two leaking from her dark eyes.

My light make-up around my eyes was running, and I quickly wiped it away, not wanting anything to do with it anymore. Now that I thought about it, I really should have been a better man for Galaco. I should've been able to protect her. Why did I have to be such a- a girl?

Leon patted my shoulder, asking if I was okay. I shook my head, looking up at the older blonde vocaloid.

"Leon," I was able to croak out, "Do you think I was good enough for Galaco?"

Leon looked at me for a while, then opened his mouth to answer. I listened closely. "I think she loved you, so you must have been."

He was lying. No, I was lying. Everyone was lying to me. If I had been a man, I would've been able to protect Galaco from the Virus, and she wouldn't have been deleted. I stood up and ripped off the ridiculous purple top I wore, then ran upstairs and slammed the door to my room. I was still crying, but right then and there I vowed to be a better man, even if it was too late for the one I loved. I ran to my closet and picked up the only pair of jeans I owned, skinny jeans made of black denim. I put them on, along with a purple T-shirt, and tied my hair up. I threw the dress I had been wearing away, never wanting to look at it again. Tears were still streaming down my face, and I again wiped them away, but this time angrily.

I walked back downstairs, my bare feet padding softly on the carpet. I sat down on the sofa silently, just waiting for the depression to stop.

I think I'll stay here until Galaco comes back.

Unless someone has an idea to get her back.

+Meiko+

We listened to Len, nodding slowly. I understood what he was getting at, and I wanted to give it a try. What if what he was saying was true?

What if we could get out of the computer?

What if we weren't just software, if we were real people, and we could escape?

Len finished, and I smiled at Kaito, trying to send the message to him. He nodded, and turned back to the three boys, Len, Oliver, and an unfamiliar one. "We think we can find a way."

Oliver beamed, and Len thanked us, smiling. He grabbed the unfamiliar boy's hand and started to go back upstairs, when I stopped him.

"Len, who's this?" I asked, gesturing to the boy, yet another young blonde. Len glanced at him, then realized they were holding hands, and quickly let go, blushing. I raised an eyebrow. Len was gay? Who knew, right? Kaito just smirked.

"Th- this is 96Neko, or Kuro-chan." Len answered, and the boy bowed politely, blushing from embarrassment.

Wait, did he say Kuro-chan? The unfriendly girl who lived on the third floor, right next to Honne Dell? Oh.

I smiled at her. "Hey, Kuro-chan, nice to meet you! I'm Meiko."

Kaito laughed, as if he had known that I had thought Kuro-chan was a boy. "And I'm Kaito!" he said brightly. Kuro-chan looked up at us and smiled, and I noticed a small lip piercing, home to a silver stud in the shape of a cat head. How cute.

"It's nice to meet you, too, Meiko-san. Kaito-san. I heard what happened to Galaco-san. I'm sorry for the loss."

Kaito's eyes grew distant, and I knew he was spacing again, thinking of the sweet, innocent girl who had just recently started vanishing. It hurt me as well, but i remained focused on the task at hand.

"Oh, Len, I'll start researching right away. thank you for your idea!"

Len just smiled and shook his head. "It was Kuro-chan, really." he said, and with that the three of them trooped back upstairs.

So Len wasn't gay. Good to know.

+Piko+

I sat on the bottom step, staring at the wall but not really registering anything. Aoki had just brother-zoned me. My heart beat dejectedly in my chest, and I sighed, resting my chin in my hand, and my elbow on my knee. I knew Aoki couldn't have feelings for me. She was too perfect for me, and I knew it. At times like these, I needed to talk to Len. He would know what to do.

I stood up and went downstairs to look for my idol. The last time I saw him, he was heading toward the kitchen. I trudged through the living room, glancing quickly at the sofa. I kept going until I realized I had seen. I doubled back and scrutinized a very-different-looking Ritsu. What was different about him? And why was he just sitting there, crying?

Then it hit me. He was wearing pants. Not a dress or a skirt or anything. Jeans and a T-shirt. His red hair was pulled up into a ponytail, and he wasn't wearing any make-up. Oh, but he was crying…

I ran over to the couch as the realization slapped me in the face and tapped him on the shoulder. "Ritsu, are you okay? Oh geez, did Galaco- I mean, do you need anything?"

Ritsu glanced in my direction with bloodshot green eyes, and ruffled my hair. "You're a man, right?"

I was slightly offended. I mean, I was pretty girly, and people called me a shota, but that was a little uncalled for. Although, he seemed to be in shock, so I just answered him honestly and without attitude. "Yeah."

"I want to be a man worthy of Galaco. She's gone, and I couldn't do anything for her." he closed his eyes again and whispered something under his breath. "I'm sorry."

I knew that last comment wasn't directed to me, so I ignored it. "Well, Ritsu-nii, I can't really help you. I mean, I can't even get the girl I like to see me as anything but a brother."

Ritsu smiled dryly. "But that means she relies on you."

Wow, for a cross-dresser who used missiles under his dress, he was actually a pretty down-to-earth guy.

"Well… Okay, Ritsu-nii. I'll help you. First step: get up and stop crying. Tears won't help Galaco come back."

Ritsu stood and wiped the tears away, looking expectantly at me, and maybe just a bit surprised, but in a good way. I could feel all the emotion of his experience today piled up in his next two words.

"Thank you."

**A/N: Hey, guys~ So, I'd like to address those of you screaming at me that Ritsu is a 25 (?) ton 6-year-old. I'd just like to say: Really? REEEEEAAAALLY? Ritsu, first off, is super skinny and is the normal height of most vocaloids/utaus. And even if he is six, I'm not putting that in my fanfic. Seriously guys, a six-year-old cross-dresser? I don't think so. And in order to ship him with Galaco, he had to be older. So you can stop screaming now. Thank you, þakka þér!**


	10. 0 & 1

+Big Al+

We all stood at attention, listening to Kaito and Meiko talk at the front of the crowded living room. I looked down at Ann, who was straining her neck to see above everybody's heads. I grinned a little, and lifted her up onto my back. She squeaked in surprise, but then giggled and hugged my neck. Kaito began speaking.

"We think we've found a way out of the computer. Anyone who wants to try and get out, we're going on an experimental run to see if it works. Please raise your hand and step forward if you want to come."

Oliver and Len stepped forward, followed nervously, if not shyly, by 96Neko. Piko also came forward, dragging Ritsu behind him. Then came Lola, Leon, and Gumi. Ann set her head on my shoulder.

"Al, I think we should go." she whispered, and I nodded without question. I think I understood. I pushed my way to the front of the crowd, and Kaito smiled at us. We looked out at the crowd, and a few others were muttering to each other, debating whether they should go or not. Aoki was pushed forward, and she looked back at a curly-haired girl, SeeU, blushing. SeeU gestured for her to go forward, and so Aoki did, joining Piko.

Then the unexplainable happened.

Honne Dell came forward, chewing on a pocky stick.

Why a pocky, I would never know.

The assembled vocaloids fell quiet, all waiting for him to say anything. Long minutes dragged by, not even Meiko saying anything, before he obliged the hushed crowd.

"I was bored." he said, rolling his eyes. "I'm only doing it for Haku." Haku was another third floor resident, with insensible long grayish-white hair and red eyes. Personally, I thought she was a very interesting person, but others didn't seem to agree. Except Honne, I suppose.

Kaito cleared his throat awkwardly, and continued, telling the others to hang in there and contact him immediately through our communication software if anybody else caught the Virus. Afterwards, as everyone dispersed, Gakupo came forward. He was one of Kaito's good friends, and I had heard that he had once even had a crush on Kaito, but then met Luka, and they were now happily dating.

"Hey, comm me right after you get out of here, okay? Luka might get worried." he commented, glancing back at his pink-haired lover. She smiled and nodded, her serious blue eyes sparkling.

"Please do. I want one from Meiko too, okay?" she said sweetly, taking Kaito's hands in hers. The bluenette nodded, and glanced at his own girlfriend, who came forward and hugged Luka.

"Of course!" she said, then motioned to the gathered group, including Ann and me. Honne Dell stepped forward along with the rest of us, creating an uneasy wave to spread from the back. I frowned. He was one of us, and had willingly joined the experiment. What was there to be uneasy about? He was just a little unfriendly, that's all. Apparently Ann shared my feelings, because she puffed out her cheeks indignantly. I realized she was still hanging on my back, and looked at her, eyebrows raised in a silent question. She shook her head, reading my thoughts, and I just shrugged. Whatever she wanted.

+Leon+

I ran my hand through my hair as we trekked up to the front door of the House. It was at the end of a long hallway, and covered in digital cobwebs. Kaito, the leader of this little expedition, brushed them away and hesitantly placed his hand on the doorknob. We all waited with bated breath, since nobody had ever opened the door, much less walked through it. I swallowed nervously, and reached out to Lola. She took my hand, her tan skin contrasting with my own pale tone, and I smiled. I didn't feel as nervous with her behind me.

I looked over at her, and she gently squeezed my hand, allowing a tiny, encouraging smile to slip through as she glanced over at me as well.

I blushed and turned back around, where Kaito was turning the knob. The door creaked open, and the first line of volunteers filtered through, to the outside.

The outside…

Was there an outside? Or were they just disappearing?

I peered through when it came to Lola and me, at the back of the group with Al, Ann, and Gumi.

The ground was just layer upon layer of zeros and ones, all moving so quickly and blending with barely readable words, that it appeared to be walkable. I decided to try my luck, and stepped out. I could stand, so I looked up. The others were there, waiting for the last of us. I smiled and led Lola out, followed closely by the other three.

Everyone looked around, awed by the previously unknown outside. We then looked to Kaito for direction, but it was Meiko who cleared her throat and began speaking.

"We'll go this way," she said loudly, pointing right, "and look for another folder. From there, we'll see if there are any ejectable devices in right now, download ourselves, and we're out!"

We began the journey onward, through the endlessness of the zeros and ones, toward what looked like a sky of blue codes and data. It reminded me of the setting of one of Len's video's. _Imitator_, I think.

I followed the rest, smiling. Would this really work? What if we actually got out? Or, what if, when we got out, we just disappeared because software data couldn't exist with a real body outside? I decided not to dwell on it and just keep moving forward. If we could survive a discontinue (courtesy of our dear creators), then we could survive this.

Right?

**A/N: Hey guys. Another a/n, I know. I hate these things too. But please read this. Leon, Lola, and Miriam are in actual danger of being discontinued. As in, no more VOCALOID 1. Please sign the petition - [link in the reviews] Sorry for advertising, but this is important. Seriously. Anywho, see you next chapter, ég elska þig!**


	11. In which there is fluff

+Oliver+

Len couldn't stop smiling. Here we were, risking our very lives in search of an exit that might not be there, and he was smiling like an idiot. I was too, but that's beside the point. This was actually really fun, coming out of the house like this. Kuro was here too, and that made Len even happier, and I even happier for Len, which made Kuro brighten up because her new friends were happy to be around her. Like a continuous loop.

We walked down the ones and zeros, through the blue that made up our home. It wasn't long before Meiko stopped us, Kaito right behind her.

"Here, guys…" she said thoughtfully, looking at the ground near her feet. I craned my neck to see, and I spotted words in black underneath her red boots. I thought it must be a menu of some sort.

Kaito pointed something out to Meiko, and she 'awed' in realization. She turned to face us, smiling. "Okay. Master has a disk of some sort in right now. All we need to do is download ourselves onto the disk and force it to eject. When that happens, the theory is that we'll come out of the disk and materialize in the real world. Got it?"

We all nodded. Of course we got it, we just didn't fully trust it. But it was worth a shot.

"I'll go first, Meiko will be going last. Any questions?" Kaito smiled at all of us, trying to brighten the mood. Nobody said anything, and an awkward silence stretched, until Kaito cleared his throat and stepped forward. "Well, see you later." And with that, he stepped onto one of the words on the menu, activated his long-forgotten, left-over download software, and disappeared.

Meiko watched the spot for a while, an anxious look on her face and worry in her eyes, until she forced herself to pry her gaze away and look at the rest of the group. "Are there any volunteers for second?"

None of us expected there to be anyone to volunteer immediately. I was just about to step up to spare everyone the awkwardness, when Honne Dell beat me to it.

"Honne?" Len whispered in surprise at my side. I nodded, speechless.

"honne-san must be eager to impress Haku-san, right?" Kuro whispered back to him. I could hear a waver of uncertainty in her voice, and I understood. Haku wasn't here right now. What reasons did he have to go second? Did he just want to get it over with?

We all watched, curious, as he was downloaded onto the disk. A steady flow of others followed after him, until only Len, Kuro, Al, Ann, and I were left.

"You can go." I said, politely stepping back for Ann. She smiled and tapped on Al's shoulders, urging him forward.

"I feel like a horse." he grumbled, but he walked forward regardless, a smile shining in his eyes covered by glasses. Meiko stopped them, a hand up, as she once again glanced anxiously at the menu.

"I think only one should go at a time." she explained, looking back up at the couple. Ann frowned playfully, but climbed off of Al's back. They hugged, but parted, and Ann downloaded. Al was next, and he looked back once to wave a silent 'good luck' to us, and then he was gone. I tipped my hat back as I glanced back at Len and Kuro, and Len cleared his throat nervously.

"I'll do it." he said, flinching, as if he hadn't expected himself to say that. We watched him walk forward slowly, when Kuro suddenly shot forward and grabbed Len's hand. He whipped his head around, surprised, his face a bright red. She looked up at him and smiled, squeezing his hand in reassurance, then letting go. He stood, shocked, staring at his hand, but then turned and practically ran to the menu. Meiko grinned knowingly at him, and he blushed and tried to download as fast as possible. I smirked. He was so obvious.

I went next. It was like being sucked into a vacuum for several minutes, then dropped onto a flat, silvery area, the walls and ceiling covered in words and numbers. Everybody was here, and Len helped me up as I stood. Kuro came right after me, her red eyes wide in wonder. Meiko then came, and almost promptly ran into Kaito's arms, relieved he, and everyone else, was okay.

+Gakupo+

I was fairly worried about Kaito, Meiko, and the rest. Of course, I didn't show it outwardly, but Luka knew. She always seems to know. We were sitting at the small table in the kitchen, waiting for the water to boil. Now that Lola and Gumi were gone, trying to find a way out, only I was left to cook. A samurai always has to know the basics, after all.

Luka gripped my hand under the table and looked into my eyes, speaking evenly as she did so. "They'll be okay, Gakupo. Don't worry."

Her cerulean eyes were heartening, and I smiled back with my own indigo eyes. We heard the water begin to boil and we stood, still holding hands, and walked over. I poured in the pasta, and began the work of preparing the meal.

I could hear the slice and thump of the knife on the cutting board behind me, and I closed my eyes in satisfaction. This is what perfect was: Just being with the one you loved in peaceful silence, doing what you both loved to do.

We heard a knock at the door, disturbing our peace, but I calmly went to answer it. I found YOHIOloid and MAIKA, looking up at me with large smiles plastered across their faces. I raised an eyebrow.

"Yes?"

"Hey, do you need any help? With, you know, sampling?" YOHIO asked, grinning in mischief. MAIKA smiled behind him, a tad more reserved than her boyfriend. I rolled my eyes, but let them in, Luka smiling at my fake exasperation. She knew I enjoyed cheerful company whenever the occasion arose. She waved at the two and held out pieces of tuna for them. YOHIO laughed, along with MAIKA, and they took the tuna, thanking Luka and starting an animated conversation.

Soon, YOHIO grew bored of the two girls and walked over to me, offering to stir and watch the pot. I nodded and handed him the ladle, smiling my gratefulness. He smiled back, happy to help. I sat down, next to Luka, far enough from YOHIO so that whispers wouldn't carry. MAIKA was talking hushedly to Luka about him.

"He's actually really worried about Ollie, but he won't show it." she said, her eyes downcast, her natural spanish lilt quiet. "I know he's trying to cover it up so he doesn't worry me, but I can tell. He told Kyo that he really regretted not going with them to protect his little brother. I think he's considering going after them."

Luka looked slightly alarmed. "No, we need him here. After they all left, we don't have as many vocaloids to help with the house chores. Besides, Master is already going to get suspicious. And what if they're already out of the computer? He'd have no way to get to them."

MAIKA nodded. "I know. But I'm afraid to tell him, to stop him from going. He might get mad at me."

I spoke up. "I don't think so. YOHIO-dono would understand, I believe. Why don't you talk to him?" My purple hair swished over my shoulder as I turned to look at her, and she inclined her head, thinking over my proposition. Finally, she stood and approached the red-eyed blonde, tapping him on his shoulder and startling him.

**He turned and smiled, and I could tell that everything would be fine.**


	12. Who cares anymore? Love, SeeU

+Kaito+

I rested my head on Meiko's shoulder, closing my eyes and allowing her to massage and play with my hair. I was glad that we had all made it through okay, especially her. Honne Dell, strangely, had come right after me, and I didn't know what to make of it. All he had said, before he volunteered to come, was that he was doing it for Haku. What was wrong with Haku? If he liked her or something, why didn't he stay behind to be with her? I shrugged, answering my own in-mind question, and stood up, startling Meiko.

"Okay guys, we're going to need all your digital energy to do this. It won't be easy to eject the disk by ourselves, but we can do it. Ready? Just concentrate… I'll try getting the menu up."

I closed my eyes and called all my energy forward, putting it forth to generate the menu. After a while, I opened my eyes and saw words on a transparent, off-white background. I could make out the slight forms of my comrades through it, and I waved to Meiko. She waved back, slightly distorted. I lifted my hand once more, and pressed my fingers to the words 'Eject'.

+SeeU+

I brushed my long, curly, exceptionally tangled hair, pulling the teeth of the brush through the waves until tears raced to my eyes. I hated having such long hair, but I couldn't cut it, because one: Master would get suspicious, and two: we had no scissors in the House. My orange top could barely be seen underneath all the hair, and I hated it. The last button on my shirt, the little power button, glowed faintly blue, and that's all you could see before my short black skirt started. My friends Miki and Aoki said it was cute, but I didn't think so. I couldn't stand this long hair, when my crush had short, standard blonde hair. Not that he was here at the moment, but… Maybe I could surprise him when he got back?

Actually, I mean, it wasn't like he ever noticed me, but, you know, maybe he would if I looked a little different? I don't know how I would cut my hair though… maybe a kitchen knife would work. Nah, I wouldn't actually do that. I didn't have the courage. Aoki did, though. She had all the bravery in our little group. Miki even used her to spy on Piko, her newest love.

Although I was no better. I had pushed Aoki forward when I knew Oliver was going on that test journey, and yet I honestly don't know why. Seriously, SeeU, what is wrong with you?

I sighed and stood up, abandoning the brushing attempts. This would never work. I walked to Miki's room and slumped against the door with a loud thud. As Miki opened the door, I fell into her room, my head hitting the carpet painfully. "Ow."

"Oh geez, SeeU! Don't do that! I nearly had half a heart-attack!" she cried, her pink hair flouncing around her face. I grinned and got up, patting her on the head.

"It's okay, Miki-chan. I would've called the hospital anyway." I said, holding in a laugh at her pouting face. I walked over to her desk and picked up a page to her latest doujinshi. "What's this one about?"

"A boy whose parents die in a fire in the late 1800s. He starts working on a ship to get food and shelter and finds the remains of a failed experiment in the hull of a pirate ship, and they include a girl… Sorry, she looks a lot like you. But anyway, he decides to try and bring her back out of the coma she seems to be in, and… yeah. It's not that good." she tells me, blushing and fiddling with a pen. I smiled as I read the page. The girl did look remarkably like me, and the boy looked like a certain bandaged shorty we both knew. I blushed when I realized what this was. She shipped Oliver and I, and she was putting it in her works. The life of a real-life fangirl scared me sometimes.

I put the paper gently back on the desk and yawned. It was getting late, but I didn't want to go back to my own room. I stretched out onto Miki's floor, quite like a cat, and settled in. As I drifted off to sleep, I felt a blanket being thrown over me, and it entered my dream as a pirate's sail.

+Ritsu+

Wringing my hands wasn't the best past-time, I know, but I couldn't help it. It's what I did when I was nervous. Piko patted my shoulder, reaching up to do so, and I smiled apologetically down at him. His silvery hair shone in the light that was slowly inching its way over all of us as he looked up at me and accepted my smile with one of his own. The light passed over us and made its way over to Len, Oliver, and 96Neko in the back. I could feel a slight, hot wind over our heads, and then suddenly, we were all immersed in a blinding beam of light and pulled off the ground and out of the bare room.

I can't really explain what happened next. Something like a mix between a hot shower and a reverse hail storm in a dry desert. Kind of. Like I said, I couldn't describe it. But when it was over, we all sat on the carpet of Master's room, the room we had seen from inside the screen for so long. We were all around the same size as Master, what one would call life-size, I think. I reached out and found Piko's hand. I looked over at him, and he smiled, gripping my hand in encouragement, but shaking his head. I frowned and let go. Apparently men didn't seek motivation from other men. I stood up and glanced around. The Master didn't seem to be here, but I spotted a drawing pad on the green-covered bed, open to a page with a sketch of Galaco and Rin. I smiled sadly, feeling tears well up, but pushing them back.

Kaito and Meiko stood, brushing off their legs, and looked around. Everyone looked to them for instruction, but all they did was space out, thinking.

"Well… we're out. What now?" I heard Len say, and when I looked back, he was helping 96Neko up and staring expectantly at the blue and red couple. Meiko snapped out of her little world and looked at Len in surprise.

"Oh… um, well, we never really thought about it. We just wanted to see if your idea was accurate."

There was a long, really awkward silence, and I felt crushed underneath the weight of it. I cleared my throat and hesitantly stepped forward. "Um, we could try to look for the source of the Virus…"

Honne Dell stepped forward as well, glaring at me as he walked past. I gulped. "Red-head there has a point. We're all pretty sure the Virus didn't come from our computer. Free Viruses usually come from an outside source, right?" he said in his deep, scratchy voice, speaking for all of us. I realized he had called me red-head, and I self-consciously raised my hand to stroke my long ponytail.

Piko nudged me in the side, and I dropped my hand, biting my lip. I really needed a haircut. Kaito was nodding, smiling at Honne, and Meiko was once again spacing out. The others all seemed a little surprised that Honne had spoken up, but Aoki nodded in agreement.

"Dell-san is right." she said, raising her tiny hand. Piko looked back at her and smiled, causing a small blush to form on her cheeks. Piko didn't notice, but I did. I knew a girl's feelings. After a second or two, Len also raised his hand, and then Oliver and 96Neko. Big Al and Sweet Ann came after, and Gumi raised hers quickly, beaming in excitement. Piko's shot up, and I followed suit, with Leon and Lola as last. Kaito's mouth opened in a splitting expression of happiness, and he tapped Meiko's shoulder. Her head whipped upwards, and she saw us, all with our hands in the air. She laughed and nodded at Honne.

"Let's go, then."

She opened the door, and we all crowded through, looking around. The setup was a lot like the House, but there was no third floor, it looked like. We softly tread down the carpeted steps, careful not to make a noise, me especially, since I was clumsy under pressure.

We made it downstairs, and more than a few let out a relieved sigh. Kaito motioned for us to stay where we were, and he turned the corner, scouting the area. This was like a dramatic cop show or something.

He came back after three minutes or so, gesturing to us that it was safe to move. Walking forward, we turned a corner as a group, but immediately stopped in horror.

Before us stood a dark blonde girl with hazel-blue eyes and a bowl of ice-cream, the spoon hanging loosely in her gaping mouth.

**The Master.**


	13. Our Master

+YOHIOloid+

I lay, sprawled out, on my gray and black bed, my hair framing my face and causing an itch to form right above my ear, but I was too bummed to do anything about it. My pillow was getting hot, but I couldn't be bothered to flip it over to the cooler side. My jacket was slipping off my arm as it flopped uselessly over the side of the bed, but I didn't want to move to pull it back up. Somebody was outside my door giggling, and it sounded like Yuu and his girlfriend Mayu, but what they were doing outside MY door, I didn't want to know.

My light flickered and went out, and I sighed. I'd have to fix that. I groaned and rolled off the comfortable, perfect, plush bed and hit the hard, imperfect floor with a thud. A knock at the door forced me to pick myself up and trudge over, swinging it open.

"YOHIO? Were you… asleep?"

I looked at my long-haired girlfriend sluggishly, not sure how to answer. Yes, I had been, an hour ago. Finally, something entered my mind to ask.

"Where are Yuu and Mayu?"

MAIKA looked at me, her face kind of red. I couldn't tell, really, since my vision was blurry from lack of sleep. "They, um, ran off to be somewhere a little more private."

"They were making out in front of my door? Seriously?"

She nodded, blushing but smiling behind her hand. "Sí. But nothing too bad, you know. They are just kids, after all…"

"You can stop there." I stated, holding up my hand. She laughed and hugged me. I really needed that. I squeezed back tightly, and she buried her face in my chest. Re-emerging, she looked into my eyes.

"Hey, can we talk?"

"Yeah, of course!" I said, opening the door wider so she could come inside. She walked in and sat down in the beanbag chair in the corner. She stretched, her eyes closed, and yawned. It seemed someone was also losing sleep.

"It's about Oliver." she said, opening her pink eyes. I tensed a little, and she let out a small breath, smiling gently. "I'm pretty sure he's fine, okay? He's with Kaito and Meiko, not to mention his best friend. They won't let anything happen to him. Besides, if you had gone, I'd be lonely." She teased. I smirked at her attempt at lightening the mood. "But really, YOHIO, don't feel bad that you didn't go with him out of the computer. If anything does happen, and I'm sure nothing will, it won't be your fault!"

I just nodded. She was right, of course, but I didn't want to admit it. As beautiful as she was already, she was even cuter when she was frustrated.

"What I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't go after them. They're probably out of the computer by now, anyway."

I sighed and smiled at her, making her blush slightly. I knew she loved my smile. "I know, MAIKA. I won't. I waited too long anyway." I told her, and she sighed in relief.

"Good. That's good. I was worried that you would get mad."

I stared at her, slightly disappointed. Did I really seem like the kind of person who would react like that? She looked up at saw my expression.

"Oh, no, I didn't mean…! No, you just… you've been acting weird lately. That's all." She said, looking down again. Okay, that was a little better. I ruffled her hair, upsetting the curls. She pushed my hand off her head and pouted.

"Hey! That's my hair, meanie!"

I just laughed and hugged her again. She hugged back and kissed the top of my head.

Why did I ever want to leave this?

+Aoki+

The Master stood there, in fright, it seemed. My nature caused me to be worried about her, and how she was reacting to this, but my inner voice of caution was telling me to not care and try to run while I still could. What a strange inner voice.

I reached out, my arm moving of its own accord, but a hand stopped me. I looked up to see Piko holding my wrist gently and shaking his head, a grim expression on his face. I dropped my arm and nodded, moving closer to him and clutching his hand, liking the feeling of having an older brother to hold on to. I could see Ritsu on his other side, biting his lip and wringing his hands, his pretty eyes darting back and forth.

I looked back to the front to see the Master staring at Piko and me, as if we were some strange, grotesque creatures that had decided to start a mating dance. Or maybe that wasn't quite the right metaphor…

Her eyes drifted over to Kaito, who had Meiko in a secure hug. They travelled to Len, who had an arm out in front of Kuro-chan. The eyes then landed on Ann and Al, Ann on Al's back again, her hands gripping fistfuls of his jacket.

The Master screamed.

We all flinched back, startled and alarmed. I didn't hear any footsteps or answering yells, so she must've been home alone, but maybe the neighbors heard her. That would be a problem that my conflicting mind wouldn't be able to fix.

Suddenly, Master darted into the midst of our tightly-knit group and grabbed Len. Kuro-chan cried out in surprise, reaching for his outstretched hand, but missing by an inch. The Master dragged Len up to the front, ripping Meiko away from Kaito and replacing her with Len. The two boys were too shocked to react.

The Master smiled. "That's a little better." she said, in a high, clear voice belonging to a girl of about sixteen years old. She then made a beeline for Piko, who dodged her and caught me up in his arms. I just smiled in confusion, not entirely sure what was happening. Master whipped around again, successfully stealing Piko, then plucking Oliver out as well. She forced them to hug, placing them in front next to Len and Kaito. As soon as Master turned away from them, they let go of each other and brushed off their arms, as if disgusted by the Master's touch. Finally, Meiko blocked the path of the strange blonde girl.

"Master…" she began, holding up a hand. She stood taller than Master, and looked slightly angry. Nobody stole HER boyfriend. "Please, stop. What do you think you're doing? I mean, come on, you can't just arrange people how you want."

Master looked up at the brunette. "Oh, sorry. I mean, you.. you are my vocaloids, right? I just… Iced Banana is so cute! Not to mention PikOliver! But, you know, if you like KaiMei better, that's fine… And you!" she exclaimed, pointing at me. I stood up straight, my eyes wide. What could she possibly want from me? "Don't steal Oliver's boyfriend! That's just rude, man!"

I could see both Piko and Oliver making faces of pure hatred at the mention of the two being in a shota relationship. "Um, I'm sure Piko-kun and Oliver-san aren't in a relationship. I'm sorry. And Piko-kun's like an older brother to me." I said quietly, then added in respect, "Ma'am."

The Master looked at me, considering my words, then shrugged. "Whatever you say, Lapis. But hey, what are you doing out here? And where are all the others?" she finally asked, as if noticing for the first time that we were outside of her screen. She was taking this more calmly than I expected, really.

Kaito answered, disentangling himself from Len, who was on the brink of throwing up. "We came outside so we could find and destroy the source of the Virus." he said, finally breaking free of Len's unwilling embrace. The blonde ran over to Kuro-chan and hugged her, shaking slightly. She looked surprised, but patted his back awkwardly. I felt a pang of pity for Len, having to go through that traumatizing experience.

The Master bit her lip, resembling a certain Ritsu I knew. "Are you saying my computer has a virus?" she asked, one eyebrow raised.

"No, we're saying something is making other vocaloids disappear, and we're trying to find out what and why." Meiko spoke up. "And by the way, what's Iced Banana?"

**A/N: Hey guys~! Not that long a space between A/Ns, but whatever. Thank you for reading thus far! Seriously, thank you so much to all my readers~ You guys are great. Anyway, this chapter I think might have some grammatical errors, because I've been busy trying to get up to date on Icelandic, and that might've mixed in with my work... yeah. But thank you for putting up with it / And if you want any ships I haven't mentioned, please review and tell me! Þakka þér, Guð blessi!**


	14. A very bad plan and live action roleplay

The blonde girl laughed. "Why, it's Kaito and Len! Adorable, am I right?" she laughed louder while Len looked at her in horror, his mouth hanging open. 96Neko put her hand on his chin and shut it, staring forward just like him. Meiko was helping Kaito up, as the bluenette had just stumbled back and was holding his stomach.

The group heard a snicker from the back and looked around to see Honne Dell cupping his hands over his wickedly grinning mouth, covering a laugh. His red eyes were even tearing up at the strain of holding it in. The Master looked a little offended. "What's his problem? And who is he, anyway?"

He glanced up long enough to take in the Master, then burst out in laughter once more. Gumi walked up and shook the Master's hand. "That cutie is Honne Dell-kun, a most curious third-floor resident."

Oliver piped up. "Shouldn't you know him? He's your vocaloid, after all." he said in a voice that was unusually strong for him.

Master ran a hand through her hair. "Huh. I've never used him before. I don't even remember downloading him."

Aoki opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off when the spacing-out Meiko looked up. "I have a theory." she said, her eyes holding a far-away look. "I think the third-floor House members are there because Master never uses them, or very rarely. And that's why we think they're unfriendly, because they never get the chance to come downstairs."

Gumi clapped in awe. "Oh, good deduction, Meiko-chan!" she said, her green eyes bright. Kaito finally stood up and nodded, agreeing with both Meiko and Gumi.

The Master puffed up her cheeks in annoyance. "Hey, what are you guys talking about? What third floor? What house?" she asked sharply, her hands resting haughtily on her hips. Kaito turned his head to look at her in equal annoyance, and she took a tiny step back.

"Nothing." he finally said, turning back and motioning for the others to get in a huddle. The Master stood stunned. Nobody had ever denied her information before, except that one time when her friend wouldn't tell her who she had a major crush on. That had been really infuriating.

The vocaloids were in a close circle, whispering to each other. Finally, Big Al nodded and look at the Master, along with Leon and Piko. The Master did not notice, however, as she was too busy staring at her nails in silent fury that Kaito had been so rude. Piko skipped over to the teenager. He could do this. He could turn up the adorableness!

Piko looked up at the girl. "Master-chan?" he asked timidly, his mismatched eyes wide. She looked down at him and her eyes grew wide as well. He smiled his best, bright smile and hugged her. "Piko's sorry, Kaito-nii isn't gentler!" Yes, from his experience, bad grammar and third person was cute to girls. "He just doesn't pay attention to most things… but Piko does! And Piko knows that you're pretty!"

The Master 'aw'ed, petting Piko's head. He nuzzled into her hand, and she blushed.

"You are so kawaii!" she squealed happily, squeezing him. Suddenly, a strong grip swept him away.

"Please don't be so rough with my Piko, Miss. He's fragile." Leon said in his smooth voice that he never used, but could when he really wanted to. He ran a hand through his long blonde hair, shaking it out afterwards and shooting a sidelong glance at the Master. She was so happy, she might as well have been sparkling. Piko wrapped his arms around Leon's neck as Leon held him and smiled.

"Thank you, Leon-nii!" he said, also glancing at the Master. They were using the knowledge that she liked yoai and shota couples to their advantage and posing Leon and Piko as one. And it was working. But man, was it embarrassing.

"You guys are a couple?" she asked, gasping and pointing at them over dramatically. "Why didn't you tell me before I forced poor Piko to hug Oliver?"

Leon ran his hand through Piko's hair this time and smiled. "I didn't want to exploit our… love… to someone Piko didn't know." The others were trying to remain straight-faced as they heard the tiny, almost non-existent note of disgust in Leon's voice. Even Piko, the best actor of them all, couldn't keep back a tiny grin. Overall, it was a miracle that the Master didn't catch on to their plan.

As she was busy fangirling over the two vocaloid's supposed 'love', Big Al had snuck up behind her. He had found a rope in her garage, in which he had just payed a two-minute visit, and he quickly threw it around her. She stiffened, then began thrashing, trying to break free of Al's iron grip. He just continued to tie the rope securely, unfazed by her struggles. Piko looked down at her from Leon's hold and smirked, returning his voice back to normal.

"Sorry about this, Master-chan."

With that, Al set her down in the coat closet in the hallway and closed the door. She screamed and shouted vulgarities through the door (causing Piko to cover Aoki's ears), but not a single of the vocaloids cared. They just walked calmly to the door and Kaito threw it open, taking in the fresh, real-world night air.

+Len+

Well, that was amusing. Piko… was hilarious. Oh my gosh. When he came back, he had pulled Ritsu aside and whispered to him something that sounded very much like 'NEVER do what I just did, or I WILL kill you and you will never be a man'.

Ritsu had nodded quickly, biting his lip but smiling nonetheless.

Anyway, we stepped through the front door of Master's house and looked around. The road was dark and street lamps were the only source of light, as far as I could tell. Kaito gazed up and down the street, then motioned to us to follow him. We did as we were told, and trooped out the door and meeting the wind head-on. I gasped as the cold of it whipped away any warmth that my shorts and uniform shirt had stored up. Kuro-chan grabbed my arm, trying to spread ant body heat that still remained in us two freezing vessels.

Oliver smirked as he saw us, cozy in his long blue coat and hat. At least he was barefoot, and the harsh concrete stung his toes. Ha ha, Ollie.

We averted our attention back to the front and saw that, by far, Meiko had it the worst. Her small red top and short skirt weren't doing much for heat preservation. Kaito glanced over at her and wrapped his scarf around her shoulders. She dimpled gratefully at him, snuggling into the blue fabric.

I shook my head and braved the weather, taking cautious shuffles forward along with everybody else. Always the one to ask questions, I had to catch Meiko's attention and pose the thing that I think everybody had on their minds.

"So… where exactly are we going, and how are we going to get there?"

Meiko sighed, rubbing her forehead. "I don't know. I was thinking Crypton Future Media Co. headquarters, since the first one to disappear was Rin, and she was made by Crypton. So we figured that was a good place to start."

"But what about Galaco? She's from Stardust, Co." Oliver said from beside me. Kaito sighed wearily.

"Yeah, but Rin was the first to go. Unless anybody has a different idea, we're going to Crypton headquarters."

We were all silent. It was the best way to get started, I had to admit, since we didn't have any other leads. I gripped Kuro-chans hand, a recent habit of mine that I hoped would never die down. She allowed me to hold her hand and glanced up at me, as if curious about my thoughts. I just shook my head and followed Kaito and Meiko and the others, with the exception of Leon and Lola, who were in the back.

I heard a small intake of breath behind me, and I whipped around, along with Kuro-chan, Oliver, Leon, and Lola. I saw a small woman with a short black bob and a cardigan sweater, holding a newspaper. I glanced up and noticed that the sun seemed to be rising. Shoot.

I called over to Kaito, and he turned, his eyes widening at the sight of the woman. She still had one hand over her mouth, as if it was strange to see a large group of oddly-dressed teenagers in the middle of the road at 5 o'clock in the morning. Of course, I was just guessing at the time.

"Cosplayers?" she finally squeaked out, and Kaito hastily nodded.

"Yeah, we cosplay!" he said, laughing nervously. "Um, we also do LARPing… ha ha."

The woman just smiled at him. "My son's a LARPer. Well, have fun, kids!" she said, turning back to her house and waving. We all heaved a sigh of immense relief when she was finally gone.

We continued walking, Meiko and some of the other older ones suggesting places to stop. We finally decided to find a map of some sort first. We stopped at a bus stop and glanced at the map on the back of the small shelter, Kaito groaning as soon as he saw it.

"What's up?" I asked, straining to see over his shoulder.

"We're in Graham, Washington. That's in America. Crypton is in Japan." he answered, looking back at me. I cursed softly, once again squeezing Kuro-chan's hand. She nodded in agreement, shyly looking up at me, then Oliver, who had a thoughtful look on his pale face.

"Can we get a… plane…?" he asked, realizing it was a lame suggestion even before it came out of his mouth. I sighed and patted his shoulder, and he blushed in embarrassment.

Kaito turned to us, a frustrated look in his blue eyes. "I'm afraid not. I wish, though. Besides, tickets cost a lot of money. And there are a lot of people here. Sorry, Oliver-otouto-kun."

Meiko hugged Kaito, while Kuro-chan hugged Oliver. He accepted the hug out of kindness, but I knew he didn't like hugging people that much. We all sat down for a rest at the bus stop, Piko offering back rubs, Ritsu watching him like some kind of strange, obscure eagle.

I sighed, leaned back, and closed my eyes, hoping we'd find somewhere to stay soon.

+Gumi+

I looked over at little Ritsu, with his T-shirt and jeans, and his long hair tied up. He looked so normal and so incredibly wrong. This style just did not fit the sweet boy.

I strolled over as he sat by Piko, having an animated conversation. Ritsu was nodding vigorously as Piko made a point, something to do with 'missiles' and 'keyboards', I don't know, I couldn't really tell. As I drew closer, they stopped talking and looked at me, with adorably large eyes and innocence written all over their faces. Ha.

I sat down beside Ritsu and started to braid his hair.

"Aw, sweetie Ritsu-kun, you know, trying to be manly won't help with anything. You're a programmed cross-dresser."

With that, I dropped his hair and stood up, brushing off my orange and white skirt. He looked up at me, a shocked expression on his pretty face. Piko glared at me, his curl bouncing on his head, but I just smiled and waved, skipping over to Lola and Sweet Ann, who were talking about their 'annoying heeled shoes'. I joined in, glancing over my shoulder to see Piko trying to cheer up a very crushed Ritsu.

Poor dears.

**A/N: Hey guys~ This chapter is really long, and full of useless words. I was super sleep deprived and spacey, so sort of lost any motivation I've ever had about anything and kind of filled the chapter with whatever came to mind so I could get it over with. Yes, fake Leon x Piko enters my mind occasionally. I don't ship it, rest assured. I was so out of it, my little sister had to write some of this chapter... But anyway, I'm sorry about the bad quality of the chapter. I'll try harder next time, I promise. Maybe. R & R, guys~!**


	15. Luka is an otaku and Ritsu is a girl (?)

+Luka+

I stepped outside of the kitchen, stretching and smiling, my pink hair coming loose from the ponytail I had tied so I could cook. Gakupo came out behind me, grabbing me in a hug before I could protest. I laughed.

"Gakupo," I said, kissing him on the nose. He smiled at me, and I continued, "you know I don't like that."

"I don't hear you making any complaints." he said in his deep, deliberate voice. I poked his cheek and tilted my head, relishing the loving look in his indigo eyes.

"I guess not. But put me down anyway. We need to ready the table for dinner."

He sighed and let go of me, bowing low and walking back into the kitchen to grab some plates and the salad. I shook my head, untying the apron around my waist and letting it hang freely from my neck. I was actually glad that there were less people around these days. The Master didn't bother us as often, and that left more time to the couples who lived here, including Gakupo and I. The other young lovers, YOHIO and MAIKA, were happy as well. Yuu-san and Mayu-chan had just gotten together, and it was the same thing with them as with Yuuma and IA. They held hands under the table and kissed when they thought nobody was looking, but back when I had just recently been released, I fancied myself quite the ninja. I knew how to get around without anyone knowing.

I grabbed the salad bowl from Gakupo's hands as he came out of the swinging kitchen door, setting it on the table next to the steaming container of rice. I inhaled the heavenly scent of food and grinned, turning to call the others down for dinner. The first ones down were Kiyoteru and Prima, their daughter Yuuki sitting on Kiyo-sensei's shoulders. I remembered when they adopted her; it had been one of the happiest days of Prima's life, as she had told me. Kiyo-sensei was just happy to have a child in a computerized world where an actual family would be impossible. Next came Yuu and Mayu, then Akikoroid-chan, Ron and Tei, Kiku and Taito, everyone from the second floor came down. The last ones were YOHIO and MAIKA, both yawning and stretching their stiff arms. I smothered a fangilrlish squeak.

Nobody needed to know that I shipped those two like an otaku. Not even Gakupo.

My face remained serious (I think) throughout the rest of dinner. Everyone ate and left the table, going back to whatever else they had been doing earlier, leaving just me and my boyfriend to do all the work again. I didn't mind, of course, I just found it a bit unfair. I stood up and began stacking plates and gathering cups, Gakupo behind me grabbing utensils. I cleared my throat and opened the kitchen door, wanting to speak, but not knowing exactly what to say.

"... The Virus hasn't shown up lately." I said, my pink hair dropping in my face as I bent down to put the plates in the sink. Gakupo looked over at me from his place at the dishwasher, eyebrows raised.

"Well, if it happened too much, it would make for a boring story."

"What?"

"Nothing." He quickly turned, and I stood staring at his back. Geez, what did he think this was, a fan fiction? Who cared if it was boring? Each life lost was a tragedy.

Maybe I shouldn't have said that about the Virus. Maybe now we were all jinxed.

+Ritsu+

I followed Piko like a lost puppy, my lip stuck out slightly, mulling over Gumi's words. What did she mean? Boys were better as boys, right? That's what Piko's been telling me…

I shook my head, trying to clear my crowded head of my jumbled thoughts, and began humming a song. It was The Little Mermaid, which was actually sung by my friend Luka-chan, but it was one of my favorites. After a while, my feet started aching as if I were a real person, but I still followed the crowd, watching the sky as it grew dark and we still trudged on, like we had somewhere to go. I huffed under my breath, the t-shirt I was wearing not providing any warmth as my breath gathered in front of me. My jeans were so rough, I didn't want to move my legs. Why was being a man so hard?

Flipping my hair over my shoulder, I ran to catch up with Piko, grabbing the back of his shirt, after realizing my steps had faltered. He turned his head head slightly and frowned when he saw it was me, but didn't protest and continued on.

I don't think even Kaito or Meiko knew where we were going, exactly. We were just wandering, like hobos on a cold winters night. And I felt like it, too. Sooner or later we had to stop. Not everyone had endless energy like Ann, or Miku… Or Galaco. I swallowed unwelcome tears, hiding the feelings that tried to freeze on my face.

As I struggled with my girlish heart in the back, Meiko and Kaito in the front struggled with directions. They didn't know where to go in the slightest, and nobody was trying to help. Piko sighed and slipped up to the front, silently grabbing Kaito's shoulder. He whipped around, startled, and Piko smirked, almost unnoticably.

"I've got an idea." the silver-haired boy said quietly. "Maybe we could travel to the Crypton base through another computer?"

Kaito stared at the boy for a long while, then cleared his throat and glanced at Meiko. "Yeah, I suppose we could try…"

Meiko grinned. "Kaito, dear, why didn't we just do that from the other computer?"

"Because we're idiots."

I giggled behind my hand, earning a dirty look from Piko. Oh. So men didn't giggle. I see. I dropped my small hand, realizing that my nails still held traces of red polish. I blushed lightly and smiled grimly, embarrassed that I hadn't noticed before.

We continued walking, until Leon spoke up. "Wouldn't the computer have to hold some kind of software directly linked to Crypton?"

Len then let out a small 'oh'! "Yeah, Leon's right! That way, we could, like, upload ourselves into the Crypton database and then emerge from one of the computers there!"

96Neko agreed with him. "But we'd have to find a computer like that first…"

Sweet Ann knocked on the blade of Big Al's scythe, causing everyone to look up at her. "When I was out helping Leon and Lola, I found out that Nintendo uses software from Crypton. We could find a computer with a Nintendo network, or the computer of someone who works for Nintendo."

Lola Smiled up at her blonde friend, as did I and several others. There was one answer to our plinth of questions.

+Lola+

We were finally getting somewhere! Good going, Ann! That boy- or is it a girl?- Ritsu seems especially happy. Oh, he's the one who was most torn up about the whole Galaco fiasco. I could feel tears pricking at my eyes as I remembered the ordeal, as Galaco had been a dear friend of mine. We'd switch outfits sometimes just for the heck of it, then dance around with whoever was available. It never got awkward.

The memories of those times, which had only been a week or so ago, seemed like years past, and I buried my head in Leon's arm to get rid of them so I could concentrate on the task at hand.

Our journey had only just begun, and yet I felt out of place, not to mention tired and hungry. The two up front were really pushing themselves, and Kaito had started acting weird an hour earlier. I sighed and turned my attention back to Leon, who planted a quick kiss on my forehead. I blushed scarlet and pecked him on the cheek.

"Revenge!" I whispered into his ear, and he laughed. We were so carefree.

We didn't know then how hard our lives were about to get.

_**A/N:**_** Guys I updated! Yes! I updated! Oh my gosh... Anyway, this chapter was pretty boring, sorry, but you got to find out about my weird ships some more! And smart little Piko-kun actually did something! Anyway, if you want me to add anything to the story or the next chapter, ships, whatever, just tell me! Next chapter might be a little later, since I have a bad case of the "WRITERS BLOCK". Anyway, _Faravel, Bless Bless~!_**


	16. Honne Dell is a brilliant jerk

+MAIKA+

I jumped around YOHIO's room, my hair flying in all different directions, just trying to stop the spreading the flame. YOHIO laughed loudly, tears streaming down his face as he tried to stop. I glared at him and held my skirt out to his hand, causing it to burn his fingers. He yelped in pain and jumped back, pouting, then going to get a glass of water quickly. He returned and poured the cold water over my light blue skirt, dousing the flame as a sigh of relief flew from my mouth.

I turned on him. "Idiota! What do you think you were doing?"

He chuckled a bit, wiping water from his eyes, and placing a hand on my shoulder. "Oh, nothing much, just experimenting with chemicals."

I glared at him in a mixture of shock and indignation. "Usted podría haberme matado, maniaco!" I yelled. He smiled gently.

"Now, Dear, you know I don't understand Spanish. So don't slip into it when you're mad."

I huffed an exasperated breath and plopped down into his lap, catching him by surprise, although he quickly adjusted, embracing me and resting his head on my back.

"Aishiteru yo." he whispered, his voice growing heavy and his breaths becoming steady. Was he falling asleep? I looked around and saw his eyes shut peacefully, his mouth slightly open. I smiled.

"You too, idiota."

It was a while before I woke up, and when I did, We were in the same position as before. YOHIO had his red eyes open, and was smiling serenely at me. I stood up and yawned, my leg almost collapsing under my weight after being asleep for so long. After thoroughly shaking the sleep from my bleary head, I noted that something was off with YOHIO's arms. They looked as if they had a hue of light blue to them.

Wait, no… that was the color of the bean bag behind him…

Oh dear Zero-G, no.

+96Neko+

We stood at the front of the house, all discussing our genius plan. Okay, actually, it was a bad plan. But nobody had anything better to offer, so we went with it. Good going, Honne-san.

I stepped forward, as we had rehearsed, and knocked on the door of the nice, two-story home, sporting beige paint and pretty, light brown trimming. The others hid in the bushes, all pushing against one another, trying to see. Except Honne-san, who stood leaning against the gate, pocky in hand and smirk on face.

I waited for a few eternities, possibly three seconds, before the door opened. A middle-aged woman with straight brown hair and large green eyes stared down at me, her mouth tugged downward in a surprised frown.

"Hello, little boy. What can I do for you?" she asked, her eyes growing wider as I looked up at her. A frown of my own creased my features. I mean, I was short, but 'little boy'? I honestly thought I was more feminine than that… I guess not.

"Um, hi, missus." I said, trying my hardest to speak with an American accent. It was hard, let me tell you. "I was wondering if you would like to donate to our donation run."

She smiled a bit, green orbs even larger than before. Those eyes were starting to creep me out. But I was too nervous to do anything but stand there and smile, shivering inwardly the whole time.

"What are you raising money for, Dear?"

"Uh…" I looked back at Honne-san, who shrugged, then noticed Len, gesturing at his head. His head? "A young girl… she has… a head disease. Yeah." Mental face- palm. "We're raising money so that the doctors... can find out what's wrong and... fix it."

The woman's eyes grew even bigger. I stepped back, a little warily, as if the eyes were going to explode at any minute and cover us all with toxic goo. Wonderful imagination, idiot.

My smile grew unsteady as minutes dragged by and she still didn't say anything. I could hear Honne-san snickering behind me, and Len shushing him with a swift kick to the shin. Finally, she opened her mouth, showcasing a row of blindingly white, alarmingly straight teeth.

"Sure, just let me get my checkbook, Dear!" she said brightly, leaving to fetch the small book. I turned and motioned for Kaito, Meiko, Al, and Gumi to hurry and come on. They nodded and ran forward, light on their feet.

"Now, you're sure this is the right house?" I questioned as Meiko slipped past.

She nodded. "Pretty positive. At least it's something to start with, right?" her reply came, and I just inclined my head in silent agreement, my blonde fringe falling in front of my eyes again. The older vocaloid smiled gently and went in through the ajar doorway, followed closely by Kaito, who gave me a thumbs up before slipping in, tailed by Al and Gumi, the latter patting my head before disappearing into the foreign territory.

The woman came back, pen in hand, oblivious to the large man behind her, ready to knock her out with a pillow. Yes, Al-san can use a pillow as a weapon. He can even scare me sometimes with how effective it is.

She began writing out her name. "Who should I make it out t-"

And then, I imagine, everything went black for her.

+Kaito+

The old lady collapsed to the ground, and Leon quickly dragged her unconscious body inside so nobody would see it. I felt like a murderer trying to hide the body of his victim. I smiled slightly at that thought.

I ran upstairs, along with Meiko and Gumi, Al staying behind to usher the others in. We threw open several doors, looking for a room with a computer in it, and found one at the very end of the hallway. It was a neatly ordered room with bright, beige walls and a simple desk pushed against a corner, a desktop Mac sitting precisely in the middle of the desk. OCD much?

I crept quietly over to the computer, as if performing a sacred ceremony, and ran a finger over the screen power button. It came to life, the desktop screen a picture of a little girl with dark blonde hair in pigtails. It seemed as though she had forgotten to log out last time she used it. Absent-minded and OCD? An odd mix, that's for sure. I clicked on a folder that read 'Nintendo- Work' to open it, and smiled. Gumi saw the folder and also smiled, turning to call to the others.

I think this might actually work!

**A/N: Hey, guys! Sorry it took so long to update! I was procrastinating again... and I had a bunch of school stuff to get to, so... yeah! To clarify what MAIKA said earlier: I'm lazy. Google Translate is your friend. And for the vocaloids and such, Zero-G is like saying God, so Oh Dear Zero-G was her exclamation of horror. Ta-da! **


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